Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1887-12-31

hdtJieShdhe creek. DICK knew that here was
the crucial test Of his ability to perform his
enterprise, set his teeth grinlly, put his knees
well into her hanlls, and changed his de-
fensive tactics to brisk aggression. Bullied
and maddened, Jovita began the descent of
the hill. Here the artful Richard pretended
to hold her in with ostentatious objurgaUion
and well-feigned cries of alarm. 1t is un-
necessary to add that Jovita instantly ran
away, nor need state the time made in the
descent; it is written in the chronicles
of Simpsons Bar. Enough that In
another moment, as 1t seemed to Dick,
she was splashing ON the overhowed banks
Rattlesndke creek. As Dick expected, the
momentum she had acquired carried her be-
yond the point of baking, and, holding her
well together for mighty leap, they dasheu
into the middle Of the swiftly flowing cur
rent A few moments of kicking, wading,
and swimming, and Dick drew long breath
on the opposite bank.
The road from Rattlesnake creek to Red
mountain was tolerably level Either the
plunge in Rattlesnake creek had dampened
her baleful fire, or the art which led to it had
shown her the superior wickedness Of her
rider, for Jovita no longer wasted her sur
plus energy in wanton conceits. Once she
bucked, but it was from force of habit; once
she SHED, but it was from a new, freshly
painted meeting house at the crossing of the
country road. Hollows, bitches, gravely
deposits, patches of freshly springing grasses,
flew from beneath her rattling hoofs. She
began to smell unpleasantly, once or twice
she coughed slightly, but there was no abate-
ment of her strength or speed. By 2 o'clock
he had passed Red mountain and begun the
descent to the plain. Ten minutes later the
driver of the fast Pioneer coach was overtak-
en- and passed by man on a Pinto hoss"-an
event sufficiently notable for remark. At
$50 Dick rose in his stirrups with a great
shout Stars were glittering through the
rifted clouds, and beyond him, out of the
plain, rose two spires, a flagstaff and strag-
CHING line of black objects. Dick jingled his
spurs and swung his RATA, Jovita bounded
forward, and i'll another moment they swept
into Tuttleville and drew up before the
wooden piazza of the Hotel of All Ma
tions.
What transpired that night at Tuttleville
is not strictly part OF this record Briefly
| may STATE, however, that after Jovita had
been handed over to a sleepy hostler, whom
she at once kicked into unpleasant uncon-
sciousness, Dick sailed out with the bar
keeper for a tcur of thc sleeping town. Lights
still cleaned from few saloons and gam
bling houses; but avoiding these, they stopped
before several closed shops, and by per-
sistent tapping and judicious outcry reused
the proplietors from their beds, and made
them unbar the doors Of their magazines and
expose their wares. Sometimes they were
met by curses, but oftener by interest and
some concern in their needs, and the inter-
view was invariably concluded by drink.
1t was o'clock before this pleasantly was
given over, and with small waterproof bag
of india rubber strapped on his shoulders
Dick returned to the hotel. But here he
was waylaid by Beauty-Beauty opulent in
charms, afiluent in dress, persuasive in speech,
and Spanish in accent! In vain she repeated
the invitation III Excelsior" happily scorned
by ell Alpine climbing youth, and rejected
by this child of the Sierras-a rejection
Softened in this instance by laugh and his
last gold coin. And then he spraug to the
saddle and dashed down the lonely street and
out into the loneler plain, where presently
the lights, the black line of houses, the spires
end the Flagstaff sank into the earth behind
him again and were lost in the distance
The storm had cleared away, the air was
brisk and cold, the outlines of adjacent land
marks were distinct, but it was 4:30 before
Dick reached the meeting house and the cross
ing of the country road. To avoid the rising
grade he had taken a longer and more cir
cuitous road, in whose viscid mud Jovita
sank fetlock deep at every bound. 1t was
poor preparation for a steady ascent Of five
miles more; but Jovita, gathering her legs
under her, took it with her usual blind, un-
reasoning fury, and a half hour later reached
the long level that led to Rattlesnako creek.
Another half hour would bring him to the
creek. He threw the reins lightly upon the
neck of the mare, chirruped to her. and be-
gan to sing.
Suddenly Jovita SHE'D with bound that
would have unseated less practiced rider.
Hanging to her rein was a figure that had
leaped from the bank, and at the same time
from the road before her arose G shadowy
horse and rider. "rhrow up your hands"
commanded the second apparition with an
oath.
Dick felt the marc tremble, quiver and
apparently sink under him. He knew what
it meant and was prepared.
"Stand aside, Jack Simpson, l know you,
you id thief. Let ME pass orr
He did not finish the sentence. Jovita rose
straight i'll the air with terrific bound,
throwing the figure from her bit with a
single shake of her vicious head and charged
with deadly maleyolence down on the inn
pediment before her. An oath, pistol shot.
horse and highwayman rolled over in the
road, and the next moment Jovita was a
hundred yards away. But the good right
arm OF her rider, shattered by bullet,
dropped helplessly at his side.
Without stacking his speed he shifted the